IMMERSION WITH THE MINANGKABAU
Family homestay & Agrotourism
IMMERSION WITH THE MINANGKABAU
Family homestay, Agrotourism & Trek
IMMERSION WITH THE MENTAWAI
Stay with the Mentawai tribes & Trek

TRAVEL RESPONSIBLY FOR AN ETHICAL A SUSTAINABLE A FAIR TOURISM

As tourists, we have a duty to ask ourselves about the socio-cultural (cultural erosion, cultural shock, physical pressures that are factors of social stress, social deterioration, etc.) and environmental impacts (natural resource consumption, multiple pollution, physical impacts …) that our behaviors generate on the territories we visit.

It is therefore important to rethink how we travel, in a responsible way for sustainable tourism !

Our commitments to make you travel differently

  • Fair trade tourism

    We put at the center of the journey, the Man and the encounter. The involvement of local people, the respect of people, cultures and nature and an equitable distribution of the generated resources, are the founding principles of the stays that we offer to you.

  • Participatory tourism

    We involve the host population in tourism activities and in return you take part in the local life of the visited region. Participatory tourism is a way to rethink the relationship between tourists and residents and to appreciate the sense of hospitality of Indonesian people.

  • Agrotourism

    We offer you to discover the agricultural know-how of the region, its landscapes, its social practices and its culinary specialties resulting from this agriculture. The aim is to highlight regional potentials, to show the communities that it is possible to diversify the tourist offer in their region, to enhance the profession of farmer and to bring together consumers and producers.

Your responsible Commitments

You have chosen to travel with us as a responsible consumer. So you have realized that your attitude and actions on site can be a factor of development for the host populations as well as a destabilizing factor.

Consequently, you agree to :

  • keep you from any attitude and intervention that could upset the social, cultural and ecological balance of local communities.
  • refrain from any donation and direct intervention on the place that would not be placed under our control.

IMMERSION WITH THE MINANGKABAU

Family homestay & Agotourism

6 days/5 nights

In this 6 days tour, we offer you to discover the richness of the Minangkabau land through its varied landscapes (volcanoes, canyon, lake, lush valley…), and a cultural trip combining crafts, traditional architecture and local food.

But it is mainly a participatory immersion stay, during which you will be host by a local family in order to discover their traditional way of life rhythmed by the sun. They will share their day-to-day life by participating with them to the work in rice fields and in peppers and gambir plantations (harvesting, sowing, eel fishing…), to the buffalo and fish fodder, and also to the preparation of local dishes that you will taste in the company of your hosts. You will also experience the traditional public baths and during the evenings, you will be able to exchange your impressions with your hosts, discuss about the local traditions and listen Minang songs to the sound of traditional instruments…

Family homestay, Agotourism & Trek

7 days / 6 nights

This option offers you an additional day to do a trek in the rainforest or to climb the Merapi volcano.

“Live a unique experience by sharing the daily life of a Minangkabau family” "Be amazed by the impressive architecture of traditional houses" "Discover new flavours through refined local cuisine with a thousand spices"

DAY 1

BUKITTINGGI

  • Departure to Bukittinggi from Padang (city/airport) at 9.00am or from Rimba Ecolodge at 8.00am.
  • Stop at the waterfalls of Lembah Anai ;
  • Lunch in a local restaurant ;
  • Visit of the Minang Museum in Padang Pajang ;
  • Check-in at the hotel in Bukittinggi ;
  • Discovery of the city: The big clock (Jam Gadang) built by the Dutch, and on which was added a Minang style roof by the inhabitants of Bukittinggi following the country’s independence ; the market (Pasar atas) offering dozens of varieties of “traditional crisps” (krupuk) which make the city’s reputation ; and finally the Panorama Park which offers the best view of the Sianok Canyon and allows the observation of the giant bats that come out of their hiding place at sunset to reach the surrounding forests.
  • Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight in Bukittinggi.

(Occasional program : discovery of the Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest flower in the world, in nature reserve of Palupuh)

DAYS 2-3

MANINJAU LAKE

  • After breakfast, departure for Maninjau lake.
  • Enjoy the view of the green slopes of the Singgalang volcano from Sungai Landia.
  • Stop in Lawang Top to admire the wonderfull view of Maninjau lake, then descent into the crater to reach the lake via the famous “44 bends” road ! Arrival at the village of Bayua Ateh ;
  • Meet with your hosts and have lunch with them ;
  • Sowing, harvesting… in pepper gardens ;
  • Harvesting of dry wood for cooking ;
  • Local cooking classes (Rendang, Gulai and traditional snacks) ;
  • Shower in traditional public baths (supplied by a river) ;
  • Dinner and evening with the hosts (exchange views on culture, local traditions…) ;
  • Night in the house of your hosts.
  • Breakfast with hosts ;
  • Discovery of the work in rice fields and traditional plowing with buffalo ;
  • Participation in the preparation of the lunch and lunch with your hosts ;
  • Mowing grass to feed the cows ;
  • Feeding of fish in ponds ;
  • Dinner and evening with the hosts ;
  • Night in the house of your hosts.
DAYS 4-5

HARAU VALLEY

  • Breakfast with hosts ;
  • Departure to Harau valley ;
  • Lunch at Payakumbuh in a local restaurant ;
  • Arrival at the village of Harau and meeting with our hosts ;
  • Discovery of Gambir plantations (plant used in dyeing, leather tanning and brewing) ;
  • Harvesting and processing of Gambir leaves ;
  • Participation in the preparation of the dinner and dinner with your hosts ;
  • Dinner and evening with the hosts ;
  • Night in the house of your hosts.
  • Breakfast with hosts ;
  • Discovery and participation in palm sugar harvesting techniques ;
  • Lunch with the villagers ;
  • Making of bait and setting traps for catching eels in rice fields ;
  • Dinner with hosts ;
  • Discovery of the art of “Saluang”, a traditional Minang musical instrument similar to a flute ;
  • Night in the house of your hosts.
DAY 6

MINANGKABAU CULTURAL HERITAGE

  • Breakfast with hosts ;
  • Last exchanges with the host family ;
  • Departure to Padang/Bungus and stop for the lunch at a local restaurant ;
  • Visit of the Royal Palace of Pagaruyung ;
  • Visit the oldest traditional Minangkabau house (350 years old!) in the village of Balimbing ;
  • Arrival at Padang/Bungus.
The difficulty of the trek in the forest is adaptable according to your level.
According to the assessment of the guide, changes can be made in the program especially depending on the weather conditions.
Want to discover everything? We offer complete tailor-made stays of a minimum of 15 days combining Minang land, Mentawai and Rimba Ecolodge.
For further information or to obtain a personalized quote, thank you for contacting us.

IMMERSION WITH THE MENTAWAI

Stay with the Mentawai tribes & Trek

Stays starting from 6 days/5 nights

Go and meet with Mentawai people in the heart of the National Park of Siberut Island. Enter in a Mentawai community will give you the impression that time has stopped among this people who never left his native forest. Off the beaten track, we invite you to discover this mysterious people, joining different families in their Uma (traditional house) through forest trips, by canoe and by foot. They will share with you their knowledge of the forest, their traditions and lifestyle. You will be initiate into traditional fishing in the river, harvesting sago (heart of palm tree) or bring your own creations by learning to make traditional clothing from plants, such as the Mentawai still wear them today … One thing is sure, this exceptional meeting will not leave you indifferent !
OUR CODE OF ETHICS

We are always working with local guides from the clans to whom we visit and we guarantee a fair wage to them.
We visit only the clans eager to welcome us in order to not impose them our presence.
We go in several clans at random, in order not to favour one clan more than the others and ensure equity between clans.
We don’t bring groups exceeding 8 people in order to not disrupt the lives and habits of the clan.
DAY 1
  • Departure at 7.00 pm by ferry from Bungus harbour to Siberut island ;
  • Dinner on the ferry (nasi bungkus : local meals to take away) ;
  • Night on the ferry in berth, air-conditioned room.
DAY 2
  • Coffee and brioche on the ferry – Arrival of the ferry in Siberut at 7:00 am ;
  • Departure by motorbike or by car to the village of Muntei ;
  • Homestay breakfast in a traditional house, shower and registration for entry into the national park. Ability to leave some luggage ;
  • Departure by traditional canoe (4h) to the village of Madobag ;
  • Meet your hosts and visit the village ;
  • Dinner and evening with the hosts ;
  • Night in the house of your hosts.
DAYS 3-6
  • Breakfast with hosts ;
  • Departure of the trek in the forest to join the clan that welcomes you. It takes 3 to 4 hours walk depending on the condition on the field and your level (very uneven terrain) ;
  • Initiation and participation in daily activities that punctuate the life of Mentawai people (traditional fishing, hunting, harvesting and preparing sago, cooking, making poison, making clothes, jewelry, utensils …) ;
  • Dinner and evening with the hosts (exchange about Mentawai traditions, traditional songs…) ;
  • Night in the clan house.
DAY 7¹
  • Breakfast with hosts ;
  • Departure at 7.00-8.00 am to the village of Madobag (3-4h walk) ;
  • Lunch in the village of Madobag ;
  • Departure at 1.00 pm to the village of Muntei (3h of traditional canoe) ;
  • Break and shower in the inhabitant house ;
  • Departure at 6.00 pm by motorbike or car to the port of Siberut and embarkation in the ferry ;
  • Departure of the ferry at 7.00 pm from the port of Siberut to Bungus ;
  • Dinner on the ferry (nasi bungkus : local meals to take away) ;
  • Night on the ferry in berth, air-conditioned room.
DAY 8
  • Arrival at the port of Bungus around 7.00 am with the ferry.

¹ A less challenging variant is possible for the way back with a departure from the clan on day 6 (4h walk) with a night in a homestay family in Madobag village, then departure in traditional canoe on day 7 to reach the village of Muntei.

GOOD TO KNOW

The Mentawai traditional communities living in remote areas of the forest. Access to these communities is not simple and the tours we offer are not easy.

You should also be aware that sharing a piece of lives of Mentawai people means to accept living in the same conditions as them, namely in a very rudimentary comfort (sleeping on the floor, neither running water nor electricity …).

It is also strongly advised to take preventive treatment against malaria (See the section “Health and Safety“).

Make sure you have a flashlight or a headlamp, a cream or a spray for mosquito, a sleeping sheet or a sleeping bag (the nights are cool), hiking shoes.

In order to bring you to remote areas of the Siberut National Park and make you experience a real exchange and sharing experience with the Mentawai, we do not offer stays less than 5 nights on site.

We offer 2 levels of trek, one easy and an other one much more challenging.

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Want to discover everything? We offer complete tailor-made stays of a minimum of 15 days combining Minang land, Mentawai and Rimba Ecolodge.
For further information or to obtain a personalized quote, thank you for contacting us.